What used to be the county with the nation’s highest rate of breast cancer, Marin County is now reveling in some new statistics.

“This is a testament to how changing medical practices and health habits can have a meaningful impact,” said Breast surgical oncologist Dr. Leah Kelley, medical director of the Breast Program at Marin General Hospital.

Rochelle Ereman, Epidemiology Program manager with the Marin County Department of Health and Human Services, said there is not only a continued downward trend in both incidence and mortality, but Marin’s rates are no longer higher than rates in California.

Kelley said she and her colleagues were “thrilled” about the results but not necessarily surprised, as a number of factors have come together to lower the area’s breast cancer rate.